It’s not often that you get to see two iconic New Orleans bands together in a small intimate venue. This night had several extraordinary factors. The co-headliners were none other than the all mighty Crowbar and the ferociously aggressive Goatwhore. The two bands have not only similarities in geography but have also had intermingling members in the bands or side projects. Goatwhore guitarist Sammy Duet was a member of Crowbar from 1998–2002, and was an integral part of Crowbar’s iconic album ‘Odd Fellows Rest’. Crowbar drummer Tommy Buckley and Goatwhore vocalist Ben Falgoust are also members of the band Soilent Green together. So of course the bands have a great camaraderie. Of course these weren’t the only bands that would grace the stage on this heavy metal showcase. The opening band Lillake formed in 2015, so they are just beginning their musical journey. However, the members of this band are by no means new to the metal world. Drummer Eric Moore is one of the most revered drummers around. Both Eric Moore and Lillake vocalist/guitarist Nico Santora were members of Suicidal Tendencies. Eric Moore was in the band from 2008 – 2015, and Santora was in the band from 2012 – 2016 and left the band to focus his time on Lillake. Continue reading →

2016’s Summer Slam in Johnson City, Tennessee got started off with a bang. Promoter Sean Carden and sponsor Roberson’s Tennessee Mellomoon Moonshine put together an amazing line-up of bands from start to finish. If you wasn’t there to witness the onslaught of metal you should be ashamed of yourself.It was a perfect Friday night to throw some horns in the air. The night didn’t get off to a slow start by any means. Scent of Remains took the stage and began their set with speed and authority. The band had recently obtained a new singer, but after practicing with the band for a period of time he left the band leaving them without a singer for this show. However, original singer Michael Yates comes to the rescue and steps up and takes the mic . It shows how much chemistry and brotherhood the band has that he was able to come back play the show with them so they wouldn’t have to cancel. That is something that fans appreciate. The only reason he exited the band is because he relocated a couple hours away. Every note they struck was with complete perfection. The guitarist Jeremy Powers has an amazing playing style. He doesn’t play guitar he caresses it. His hands move in a way that just glues your eyes to him. Their aggressive in your face music style makes them one of Knoxville’s premier metal bands. If you haven’t heard the music look them up and get yourself a big whiff of Scent of Remains. Continue reading →

It’s not everyday you get to witness NOLA royalty. New Orleans sludge masters EyeHateGod recently unleashed their greatness on a crowd of fans at The Hideaway in Johnson City, Tennessee. The band is touring in support of their 2014 self titled release. The tour entitled ‘The Road to Psychotic Disorder is Not Elsewhere Classified’ also includes direct support from Philly based band Fight Amp. Also on this particular date is East Tennessee’s premiere doomsters Navajo Witch. Continue reading →

It’s not often you get to see two amazing bands at a small hole in the wall venue. When I say hole in the wall venue I of course mean that lovingly to the fullest extent. The Hideaway in Johnson City is one of the best smaller venues/bars to see a show. Havok have recently been on tour with several other bands as immediate support. Some dates had Extinction A.D., Black Breath, and Psychosomatic. While we do enjoy all of those bands we felt very lucky we got the pleasure of seeing Black Fast open for the mighty Havok. It always helps as well when a regional act is put on the bill and they step up to the stage and totally kill their set and make a shit ton of new fans. That regional act would be Wise, Virginia natives Grave Rat. Continue reading →

The ATL has produced yet another quality band. Poynte has always been adamant about releasing heartfelt music that fans can connect with. The new lyric video “The Villian” is off the album Discreet Enemy that release in February. You can catch Poynte on tour currently with Trapt, Sons Of Texas, and Guns Out At Sundown. We will be catching these guys on the road in Johnson City, Tennessee at Capone’s on July 29th. Come out and support these guys along with the other great acts that are on this great bill. See you there.

Witch Mountain was formed in 1997 and became a household name in the city that keeps it weird, Portland, Oregon. The doom crew had just released mostly likely the best album thus far since the formation of the band in the 2014 release “Mobile of Angels”. Singer Uta Plotkin was belting out all the vocals on the most recent albums. Her voice became the definition of doom to most within the scene. Uta announced she would be leaving the band prior to the release of Mobile of Angels in September of 2014. If that wasn’t already enough bassist Charles Thomas was leaving the band as well. This left only drummer Nathan Carson and guitarist Rob Wrong. Uta left some huge shoes to fill for whoever would eventually take her place. The band had a few months to look around for a singer prior to Uta leaving the band. They were in no immediate hurry to fill the spot and just wanting to ensure they had the right person. Less than a week after receiving a video audition from Kayla Dixon she was to become the new singer of Witch Mountain. Dixon spent some time with the Cleveland based band Demons Within, but the majority of her career was in theatre acting. The 19 year old Dixon was flown out to join the band and newly added bass player Justin Brown from the Portland band Lamprey. Once again the band was complete. A tour was soon announced and Witch Mountain would be opening for the doom power house YOB.

Photo Credit: Wilbur Kilb Hunter

Photo Credit: Wilbur Kilb Hunter

Metal Nexus was lucky enough to catch Witch Mountain in Johnson City, Tennessee on March 27th. Just 5 days into that tour. The show was at The Hideaway which is one of the most intimate settings anyone could see a show. The stage is close quarters, up close and personal with very good sound. Kayla seemed very composed and eager to take stage. The whole crowd had yet to hear her sing as nothing had been released, so we were all going into this deaf and blind not knowing what to expect out of the new singer. Once the show started she seemed in her own world, the left handed shredder Rob started in on guitar and she began to sing. Immediately she had everyone in the room’s attention. Her vocals stand out, much different than anything we have heard in some time. Her singing would go from hitting these very high notes in perfect fashion to these deathly growls. After the first song the crowd was more than ready for more of the new Witch Mountain. Her stage presence made it seem like she had been the leader of the band for decades. Not one person in the room could look away. New bassist Justin and Kayla were showing that they belonged in this band. The great partnership of Rob Wrong and drummer Nathan Carson had correctly added an amazing new element to the band in Kayla Dixon. They began to play one of our favorites in the song “Beekeeper”. The song sealed the deal for us. Of course we love the old Witch Mountain stuff, but this new era is here and we love it. We went into this show not knowing what to expect and by the time it was over we were begging for more. Chemistry is hard to build within a band and sometimes takes a long time. The band looked like they had been playing with this lineup for years. For 45 minutes they captured the attention of every soul in the room, and may have even kept a few souls for themselves. Sometimes doom has a beautiful voice…